All Too Soon
by Teo
Summary: IY/Kag. A different outcome to the Thunder God battle... and it's not Kagome's death... R&R please!
1. All Too Soon: Irrivocable

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha.

All Too Soon: Irrevocable 

            Hiten's blade locked with his scabbard and hairline cracks appeared on the shining black surface, like a crumpled spider-web. Dust rose all around them, as Inu-Yasha gritted his fanged teeth against the sheer power his opponent was emitting. _Damn…_ if he had known this would be the outcome of Manten's death, he might have found another way to save Kagome, but then again… it was good to have that hairless blob out of the way and he could still take on the enraged Hiten, as long as _she_ didn't get involved. That he might not have been able to rescue the girl from the future never occurred to him. There was a part of his mind, still, that believed she was Kikyo, and therefore she could never die. 

          Inu-Yasha's bare feet slid backwards fractionally, grinding the hard-packed dirt beneath them into a fine dust, as the groaning of the Tetsusaiga's scabbard reached his fine-tuned ears, strangely audible above the din of battle. How much longer would the blasted thing hold? _If the scabbard breaks…_he thought, narrowing his eyes and pushing his weight into keeping Hiten's blade from striking him _…I'll be cleaved in two._ It was that simple then, all he had to do was keep away from the blade, and the lightning, and Hiten himself, until he could reach the Tetsusaiga or at least gain some sort of leverage. The question was, could he pull it off? With his wounds and his limited resources?  _Without a doubt._

          There was no battle in which Inu-Yasha could not ultimately be the victor. He _had_ to win. If he didn't… what would happen? He didn't know. Perhaps knowing was impossible, but something made him strive for victory. What was it? He didn't know. Perhaps knowing was impossible. 

          Hiten turned his attention from the battle for a moment, frowning. Inu-Yasha's eyes widened in surprise as Hiten began to chuckle around the light and crackling power forming in his mouth. _His brother's lightning power…_ he followed Hiten's gaze to see Kagome and Shippo running across the rocky turf for the Tetsusaiga, Kagome clutching the pelt of that brat's father. 

          And for an instant he was helpless, stuck beneath the weight of Hiten's blade. His mind was awash in trial courses of action, his body a rush of adrenaline, and there was nothing he could do. The lightning poured from his full-blooded opponent's mouth. He could no longer feel the dull, throbbing pain of his wounds. He could feel nothing, but the harsh reality he was facing. Pain was something he had learned long ago, and just when he thought he had hardened himself against it, it found another way to strike him. Because for only an instant he was helpless. But it was the instant that counted. 

          Realization came crashing down on him viciously, like a wave against the shore. The pain of his wounds lanced back through his body and they were nothing compared to his desperation.

          "Look out – !!" his warning came too late. Hiten's blast flowed towards them like an electric wind, and Inu-Yasha could see the shock registering on their faces before they were consumed as if in fire, they're bodies thrown to the ground by the force of the blast. 

          "Ha!" Inu-Yasha dimly heard Hiten speak. "A toast to you!"

          He could almost make out Kagome's face among the flames, as peaceful as if she slept in contrast to the horror of her final moments. He watched her fade into the lightning fire and realized something: he had lost, just now. He had _lost_. 

          "Your friends are generous. They prove my lesson…" Hiten smirked. "That courage against me means only death!"

          A low growl rose in the half-demon's throat. "You're right…" his voice was a near hiss. All that was left was Hiten, and soon he would be no more. With resolution, power, and rage flowing through his veins as heavily as his own mixed blood he shoved Hiten's blade from him. "It means _Death_!!"

          As Inu-Yasha gained leverage, his scabbard was forced into the offending blade, but still he pushed. That blade that he had locked his scabbard with belonged to the demon that had taken Kagome's life. Hiten had to die. It was all Inu-Yasha could do for her.

          "Sad fool… Soon to be without even your scabbard."

          Hiten was almost right, but Inu-Yasha didn't want to hear it. He couldn't stop until that mocking, open-mouthed smirk was wiped off the face of the planet. The words were only fuel to his rage.

          "And what _of_ it!?" he growled, pushing the blade back further and bringing his forehead crashing onto Hiten's where the shards of the Shikon jewel were embedded with a spray of blood. He didn't know whose, but at least the smirk was gone, replaced by a fierce frown.

          "You affront me…!"

          Their weapons had unlocked and both of them stood, fangs bared, amidst an inferno of their own power. 

          "You may _kill_ me, Thunder God…" _like you killed Kagome…_ "but I'll bring you down _with_ me!" There was only unbridled fury in Inu-Yasha's cat-like eyes, his red hakama soaked with blood, his untamed white hair blown out behind him like a ghostly shroud. Hiten would pay dearly, no matter the cost.

          "Heh. To go mad because your woman was killed…" 

How he hated that smirk. 

"You're better off dead!" As he spoke Hiten charged forward, bringing his blade into Inu-Yasha's ready scabbard with a deafening crack. The scabbard still held, but barely. 

          "As it was _fated_!" Hiten cried in triumph as the scabbard neared its end. _Now what…_ Inu-Yasha wondered. His eyes widened as he glimpsed something flying towards them over his opponent's shoulder. _My blade…_The Tetsusaiga flew into his hand and he wasted no time dropping its scabbard and slicing off one half of Hiten's face with a single swing. The wound was clean for an instant before blood spurted out in a sinuous line and Hiten fell to the ground, his shocked face and the rest of his body disappearing. Only the Shikon shards were left, and Inu-Yasha slumped to the ground as he watched Myoga hurriedly gather them.

          "M-m-my Lord…?" the old flea asked hesitantly. 

          "Save the respect." _I don't deserve it._

          Kagome was gone. She wasn't Kikyo, she never had been and she never would be. The same fires that had engulfed Kagome's body had purged his mind of any belief of that. They were both powerful, but unlike Kikyo, Kagome couldn't protect herself. Unlike Kikyo, Kagome needed him – not that she would admit to it, the stubborn girl. And, unlike Kikyo, Kagome created a need in him, for her. 

          An understanding he never wanted had befallen him in battle: it was Kagome. Kagome that he fought for, that he bled for, that he won for. In her need for protection, Kagome had given him a purpose beyond the Shikon shards. _If only I'd been quicker…Kagome would still be…_

          Where once the shards of the sacred jewel had promised him happiness, they now embodied only empty power.

          "Inu-Yasha…"

          He turned at the soft, familiar voice. There was Kagome, the fox child in her arms. A ghost of the fire that had incinerated their bodies blazed around them. It was as if they were a part of the flames.

          "Ka… Kagome…?" he asked, almost unable to believe his senses. Myoga hopped onto his shoulder.

          "Th-those must be… their ghosts! Coming to say… _sniff…_their final farewells…"

          Inu-Yasha spared him a glance. "Then…?" _This is the end…?_ What else could it be without Kagome? He could find the rest of the shards alone… but…

          "Inu-Yasha…" Kagome spoke. She watched him serenely, the look in her cobalt eyes indefinable. "Thank you for everything."

          "Same here," said Shippo from her side. "My Dad's soul can rest in peace now…"

          Around them the fires began to dissipate in a great rush of air, tossing up Kagome's hair and bringing small pieces of the terrain with it. The two of them raised their eyes to the sky and Inu-Yasha watched in alarm. It was all he could think of to dart forward with the hope of stopping their ascension.

          "No! Wait! Don't go!!" he reached out desperately with his clawed hand for Kagome's. _I have to tell her…_his mind cried. And then for the first time in his immortal life he spoke those words… "Kagome, I love you!"

          Those irrevocable words…

          And stared into a pair of azure eyes as wide with surprise as his own must have been. _She's… alive!?_

A/N: I magnified Inu's feelings a bit, but for the sake of the story, let's just overlook that, shall we? He'll be more in character next chapter… if I decide to write one. R&R please!


	2. All Too Soon: Endless Circle

## Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha

All Too Soon:

Endless Circle

"Huh!? Kagome!? _You're taking summer math too!?"_

"The teacher 'suggested' it…" Kagome sighed, examining her ice cream as she walked aimlessly through the park with Yuka and Eri. 

"Hey, Kagome! Are you applying to the same high school as Hojo?" Yuka asked. Eri joined in with a question of her own.

"Whoa! You mean you guys are official!?"

"Give me a break!" Kagome huffed, turning to face them. "Me and _Hojo_!?"

"Geez…"

"You don't have to get so defensive about it…"

_I'm more worried… Kagome thought, absently, __about just being able to get into high school! And after what he said… She remembered she had only stared at him blankly until she was able to regain her voice and ask him if he really meant that.Predictably enough, he had only snorted and told her to go home. Nearly a week passed since then, but even with all the hot baths and modern conveniences…__I can't stop thinking about Inu-Yasha…_

Initially Kagome had been shocked, too stunned to really do anything. And by the look on his face, so had Inu-Yasha. She was shocked still, wondering if the event had even happened, if it was only a scenario created by her overtaxed mind. But Inu-Yasha still hadn't come for her and she wasn't about to go back… not until she was absolutely sure what she should say. And what she should do. How was she supposed to react when someone who barely called her by name said something like that? Even if he hadn't really meant it… which was just another thing to consider. If he did mean it, then how did she feel? And if he didn't… Kagome shook her head. _Now I really__ can't concentrate on school! Is everybody plotting against my education!? I wouldn't put it past Inu-Yasha…_

"Hey, look! Look!" Eri cried, pointing. Kagome glanced in the indicated direction. "Sparklers…!"

Just beside a children's jungle gym shaped like a perforated dome or a concrete turtle's shell a small group of children and their mothers had lit sparklers. They stood in a loose circle, the miniature flames licking at the hard, cool pavement, reflecting in the delighted eyes of the young. Their mothers watched with reminiscent smiles, charmed with their children's happiness rather than the flying sparks. Kagome surveyed the kids as their mothers did, too old to join in, and too experienced to truly enjoy such a simple show of lights. _I wish things were still that simple for me… Kagome thought wistfully. But she knew, as much as she complained, that there was nothing she would change. Absolutely nothing._

A hand slithered from the shadows beneath the jungle gym and a lit fire-cracker flew into the ring of children. They backed away, shrieking and shielding their eyes as their mothers ran for water. Kagome's eyes followed the figure of a young girl leaping from the playground and cackling as she fled the scene. A determination welled up in Kagome as she chased after the little imp who was dressed in a winter coat despite the summer heat. She would find out what was going on. Maybe it was a petty distraction, but like many things in her life, it would eventually lead her back to Inu-Yasha.

_That stupid girl._

The humming of a thousand bees droned in Inu-Yasha's ears in the deadly quiet of the night. Around him the foliage was pushed by a breeze to whisper in quiet contemplation of the stranger in their midst as the eery sound of darkness ate at his senses. He was dwarfed by the trees of the forest, with their great height, and it magnified his brooding as the night magnifies the cries of a creature near its death. 

_That stupid, stupid girl!_

Just what had he been thinking, to say such a thing? Those words… those words he had never imagined would fly from his mouth. In the span of a moment he had lost all sense of himself, and given life to a thought long dormant. Never before had he spoken those words, and never before had he felt the need to. Not to his mother, and certainly not to Kikyo - though he had loved them both. And where had that gotten him? _Stuck to that stinking tree! What made this girl so different? __Not a damn thing!_

If anything she was more annoying, more needy, more headstrong than anyone he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. With the exception of Shippo, perhaps. Kagome was different than anyone he'd ever known; she didn't understand the boundaries of blood, she childishly believed there was good in everyone. _But maybe that's why…_

"Isn't it done yet ,old man?" he asked, frowning. Patience had never been his strong point. 

"Not yet, Lord Inu-Yasha," Myoga replied from his shoulder. "Try now and you'll be stung to death."

Inu-Yasha glared at the beehive, strung from the treetops by a substance of the insects' own creation and almost as large as himself with his scabbard partly sheathed inside it, as if willing them to work faster… well, okay, he was attempting to threaten them, but you can't expect anyone to get their point across to a group of insects.

"There is no way to seal the crack your scabbard suffered against the thunder beasts," the old flea continued wisely, "except with the wax made by these forger bees." Behind them Shippo flew through the air, having transformed into… something… "But I'm sure it will be finished before you have to search for more Shikon shards." As Myoga finished speaking the giant Shippo-balloon opened its smiling mouth to reveal a row of pointed teeth and proceeded to latch onto Inu-Yasha's head. The hanyou twitched for just a moment before he socked the kitsune to the ground.

"That's _enough, Fox!" he growled._

With a puff of smoke Shippo assumed his true form… "I'm bored!"… in more ways than one. "I only came because I thought Kagome would be here too! But you had to scare her off," he pouted. "What did I do to get stuck with _you!?"_

"That's what _I'm wondering!" _

"Say now… don't I count for something…!?" Myoga began, before becoming distracted by something over his shoulder. "Eh…? That's…"

Over a bed of lily pads a creature as round as Shippo had been bare seconds ago, its eyes mere slits, flew with the floating ghosts of children. Its stubby arms held a flute to its nearly-non-existant mouth and a tail like an angel's wing curved around and under it.

"It's a demon!" Shippo cried, clinging to Inu-Yasha's shoulder as if they had never fought before. Inu-Yasha glanced at the young kitsune.

"Shippo… what are _you?"_

"Th-that's… a Tatari-mokke!" Myoga stuttered. "A demon given life by the souls of young children. It plays with the shades of children newly dead… until they have settled… and can move beyond…. Never fear. It is only an apparition."

Inu-Yasha settled back down to wait for his scabbard to mend. When _Myoga_ said there was nothing to fear, then he was perfectly safe. He glanced at the Tetsusaiga and wondered if it would work now that Kagome wouldn't be around for him to protect. There was little doubt in his mind that she wouldn't come back. It didn't matter if he loved her or not - _which I don't! - she would probably be too disgusted to ever return. Not that it mattered… he would just go get her when she was needed, and then he would tell her __exactly how he felt…_

Kagome slipped into the well-house, shutting the door behind her and moving deeper into the musty building. She didn't have her pack, this was only going to be a quick visit for information… but chances were she would run into Inu-Yasha, and knowing him he would be even more rude than usual, to hide anything he might be feeling. But she had to know what that thing was… and how to help Mayu. And the best person she could think of to go to was Myoga. 

She stared at the old well with trepidation. _I still don't know what to do… she thought, frowning slightly. This was where Hojo had witnessed her climbing out when she was just returning. Naturally, he didn't notice anything amiss, but his presence had made her strangely edgy. __What would I do… if it was Hojo who said he loved me…? _

All of his advances so far had been flattering… but nothing more. She liked him, in a strictly platonic way. And if he said that, she knew she would be trying to find a nice way to let him down. Inu-Yasha, on the other hand… her feelings for the half-demon were… impossible to describe. It was something and nothing at the same time, as if she were both empty and full. The feeling was completely indefinable… and completely different from what she associated with Hojo. 

Kagome stared at the well, and suddenly, she knew just what to say.

A/N: Whew! Finally! I've had computer problems and little time to write, but I got this out in less than a week! I think that's pretty good… anyway thanks sooo much for the reviews!! I hope you like this chap, and I think the next will probably be the last, and shorter than this one, but I'll get it out as soon as I can. O, yeah, just so you all know I'm following the manga version, so those of you who only watch the anime can't tell, but I'm copying most of the lines directly… Umm… I can't think of much else to say, sooo… please review, and I'll get the next chapter up soon… I hope.


	3. All Too Soon: Consideration

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha

All Too Soon:

Consideration

          He could hear her from where he stood, a few yards from the well. But the sounds of her labored breathing and the battle of lose dirt against gravity, brought on by her climb up the bone-eater's dirt walls, were not what had first alerted him to her presence. It was the scent of her that had crept up on his senses, surprising, but also very… peaceful. Hers was the scent of fresh rain, of a cloudless morning or a brilliant sunset. Sweet like a budding rose and more pure than crystal, it had stirred the blood throughout his resting body and beckoned him to the well. Or rather, to her. 

          The first trace of her scent that reached is nose had been like that first gasping breath of an underwater swimmer as they broke the surface. Her scent was like air to him, and only now was he realizing… he had missed it.

          _It's not as if I… feel that way about her,_ Inu-Yasha snorted mentally, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest. A head of black hair peeked over the well's wooden edge, followed by the familiar green and white, the long legs, and those ugly shoes she always wore. Kagome stumbled out of the dark hole, bending over to catch her breath, seemingly unaware of his presence. And she could just take her sweet time becoming aware, for all he cared. 

          He looked her over absently. She looked the same; her hair, her clothes, her scent… just her. Had it really been but a few weeks? It felt like ages… mentally he slapped himself. It was stupid to think of her as more than she was: a shard detector… _his_ shard detector.

          He had stopped actually looking at her long moments ago, so he was startled to find a pair of cobalt eyes not so far from his own. "I-Inu-Yasha…?" In the silence that followed Kagome's cautious uttering of his name, Inu-Yasha felt as if she had never left, as if they had never aided Shippo, as if he could still pretend he was nothing but a nuisance – _She is! She is nothing but a nuisance!_

          Inu-Yasha snorted and turned away from the young girl's image, as if she was beneath his notice. He would have folded his arms, just for emphasis, had they been at his sides and not folded across his chest already. "It's about time!" It _had_ been the longest she'd left since they'd met… "If you're finally finished with that ridiculous school thing of yours, we can… get back to… to searching – hey! Are you even listening!?"

          Kagome had been facing him, yes, but she could have been blind and be seeing him just as well. He struggled not to growl. _A damn nuisance… _at his words she looked up at him, this time with greater focus. A smile lit her face. _Then… why do I feel… relieved?_

          "Yes, Inu-Yasha," she… she _giggled._ Unthinkable. He dropped his arms to his sides and stared at her openly. "I'm listening."

          His stare turned from one of surprise to one of suspicion. "Bitch… what are you laughing about?"

          "I'm laughing… because I'm happy." Her gaze, startlingly warm, washed over him much like the sun across stone. There was something indefinable in her sparkling eyes… and he found it was a bit too much like sun across stone for his comfort. Inu-Yasha turned swiftly and began to stalk away from the woods, his back to her, to hide his heated cheeks. _Damn it! What's wrong with me!?_

          Of course, it was too much to ask to have some time to think… "Wait! Inu-Yasha!" It was all because of her too, that he needed that time. He had known just what to do… until she came back, and then he found his plan oddly lacking. "I listened to you, now you listen to me!"

          Kagome had taken a death grip on his arm, and while it was almost tempting to drag her through the forest now, he might have to later anyway. So why not let her make her flimsy excuses first? It didn't matter what she had to say. He had made up his mind about one thing: she was staying, at the very least until the jewel was finished. Although… he wasn't quite sure what he wanted with the jewel anymore. It had seemed almost… unimportant in the midst of Kagome's near death. And he was having a hard time shaking the feeling.

          "I have something to say," she began, making a show of composing herself. His arm she had dropped, as he made no further move to escape her words. Inu-Yasha found himself wondering if she had taken the time to compose some sort of speech, but, though she sounded sure of herself, no sound came from her open mouth and he realized she was searching for the words. He sighed. How like her.

          "Well…?"

          "Ah – I… I don't know you very well," she paused, and he snorted. _This_ was what she wanted to say? "No, no – that's not true. I don't know much _about_ you, is what I meant." And now she was contradicting herself. And he was about to contradict his decision to listen to what she had to say.

          "They're the same thing, wench," he snapped. "Do you have point?"

          "Of course I do!" she seemed to puff up, and then her voice lowered to a grumble. "Though, I don't know why I bother…" Now she wasn't so nervous, at least. "I know _you_. I know how you act, and I'd like to think I understand you… at least a little… but you won't talk to me about yourself. All I know about you, I've learned because circumstances forced you to reveal a part of yourself. I know so little… and… well, it bothers me."

          Inu-Yasha stared at her, non-plussed, and maybe… a little surprised. "Huh?"

          "What I mean is… I want to know you better… because… even though I haven't known you very long I… think I might be… falling for you…."

          Well, now he really was surprised. Shocked. He wasn't exactly sure what he had been expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. _She's…not serious…is she?_ Kagome was speaking again before he could even process the thought. _Maybe…_

          "I don't expect anything from you, though. Not right now. I mean, obviously I would if something were to happen, but I think we should just keep looking for the shards for now… I mean… well… Inu-Yasha…?"

          "Uh…" What was he _supposed _to say!? _Maybe I…_ "W-what?"

          Kagome looked at him quizzically. "You know… you're not the only one… who still needs time to think." _Maybe I don't… hate her…_

          "Kagome!" Shippo appeared from who-knows-where, and sped into her arms. "Kagome, you're back!"

          Inu-Yasha groaned mentally as he watched Kagome converse with that stupid kit. He didn't stop to wonder why he was almost… disappointed.

          "Let's go," he ordered gruffly, turning towards Kaede's village. He could think about her words as they traveled to find the next shard… he_ could_ think about her words… "Kagome?"

          "Yes?"

          "Thank you." _And maybe…I will consider what you said…_

          "Um… Inu-Yasha?"

          He glanced at her. "What?"

          "Well… school isn't over yet… I only came to ask if you knew something about…"

          The sound of Inu-Yasha's exasperated growl drowned out the rest of her words.

A/N: Not the ideal ending, no, but honestly I don't think either of them would be able to really come to a conclusion so early in the series. I think I'm even stretching it here…. Anyway things seem to be on the right path… but wouldn't Kagome be mad when she found out about Kikyo? Gah – no, no, I'm not going to be writing any more of this story. It is completed! Just assume they'll admit their feelings eventually… well I thought it was kind of cute... um… review please! C ya next time!


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